ATI, LERSHA join hands to digitize Ethiopian agriculture

Addis Ababa, August 28, 2023 (FBC) – The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) and Lersha, a pioneering private digital agriculture platform in Ethiopia, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together on digitizing Ethiopian agriculture.

According to the joint press release, the MoU focuses on implementation of various digital agriculture services to small holder farmers with a diverse range of priority value chains and inclusive job creation in the farmer production clusters (EPC).

Under the terms of the MoU, the two partners will create digital profiles for 1,050,000 small -holder farmers and provide agro-climate advisory and fertilizer recommendations.

The collaboration will be carried out over a period of 3 years, commencing in September 2023 and concluding in August 2026.

The MoU was signed by Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) CEO Mandefro Nigussie and Founder and Managing Director of Lersha, Abraham Endrias.

Speaking on the singing ceremony, Mandefro said that Lersha has a strong track record of innovation as a private sector, and we believe that together we can make significant impact on the lives of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia .

He added that this also signifies ATI’s commitment to working with the private sector with the aim of improving the service delivery and pluralistic extension.

The Managing Director of Lersha on his part said the partnership with ATI is a key step in our efforts to promote digital services and create jobs for young people in rural areas.